Engine starter



June 17, 1-930.

w. F. ROTHERMUND ENGINE STARTER Filed April 26, 1926 M i/ a Y 'Z/ /2 ternative Patented June 17, 19 30,

UNI-TED STATES PATENT oFFlcs WERNER r. Bornnnu wim i I I Enema srinnm g This invention relates to engine starters: and more particularly to that type of starter wherein a very high rate of power output is Obtained "for a short period as from a fly- 6 wheel energized to high speed over a longer period and from a relatively low powered source. v

The present embodiment discloses an improved ty e of starter transmission especially 10 suitable f dr the starting of en 'nes having relatively massive flywheels sue .the Diesel type, and provides a means for the startin of such engines without shock, the engine eing smoothly accelerated from rest by a mechanism providing a progressively increasing transmission ratio.

as those of One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a starter having a variable" frictiontype that.

speed transmission of the as a progressively increasing ratio. A further object of the invention is to pro vide a starter of the class described having a transmission that includes a friction drive of progressively increasing ratio starting from a zero setting in which the rate of progression can. be readily varied at will to accommodate engines having either light or heavy flywheels. A still further object is top'rovide a starter having a transmission of the type described in which a yieldin means is included to prevent an overloa being imposed' onethe mechanism such as might result from a back fire in the engine. I

Another object of the inventionis to provide a starter having the desirable features herein set forth, in which the use of long intar-connecting driving members 'formed of a ,multiplicity of parts, have been avoided.

the invention will an inspectionjof the accompanying drawings and a carefulconsideration of the following particular description and claims of one form of mechanism embodying my invention. r

In the drawings: Y a

Figural is a vertical section. illustrating a referred form of the present invention.

igure 2'is a fragmentary view of an' alform of drive. j v r the faces 14 and 25 slidably splined to the s a control rod 26 having I vided with a pin engaging an annular groove 15 Various other objects and advantages of .th

be in part obvious from In the present instance 10 designates a startin jaw formed on the end of an engine drive. s aft adjacent which there is secured to the engine casing not shown) by any suit-- able means, a starter housing 11. 1

Within the housing 11 there is rotatabl mounted a shaft 12 havin a clutch 13 whic is'provided with a plura ity of angular or hellcal faces 14. Mounted on the end of the shaft 12 and adapted for relative rotation thereon is a sleeve member 15 su ported in a bearing 16, saidsleeve member provided wlth angular clutch faces simi ar to v engaging therewith.

Mounted for free rotatlon u on the shaft 66 12 is a flywheel 20 provided wit a pinion 21, and meshin with this pinion is a car 22 adapted to e driven by a hand arm! 23 or other 'drivingmeans such as an electric motor. The flywheel is provided with clutch elements 24 adapted to e en aged by a clutch aft, said clutch being operated into or out of engagement by a lever arm'27 pro- 28 formed on the clutch means for the 29 engaging a lever arm 30.

Preferab y formed as part of the sleeve 15 is a-friction disk 32 provided with va fabe 33 formed of material suitable to frictionally engage for riving a driven member 34 splined to a shaft 35. This driven member is moved axially along the shaft 35' against the pressure of the springs 36, 36 by a device 37 adapted to automatically advance the driven' member from an initial zero settin towards the eriphery of the friction di thus graduall y accelerating the rotation of e driven member from low to hi h speed. The device 37 consists of a part threaded shaft38 fixed a ainstrotation in the housing 11, andadapte to be withdrawn therefrom y the removal of a plug 39 screwthreaded in the housin Several of these shafts each 95 rovidedwit screw-threads of a pitch diferent from the other may be supplied with each starter to effect either slow or rapid advancement of the driven member 34 along the face of the friction disk, for the purpose of 4.00

. Anactuatin control rod consists of a ro accommodating engines having either light or heavy flywheels, it being obvious; that an engine provided with a relatively massive flywheel would require a low rate of acceleration so as to gradually overcome the inertia of the flywheel when started from rest.

Upon the shaft 38 there is mounted a gear 40 having a hub 41, said gear meshing with a relatively small gear 42 formed on the hub of the driven member 34, and a connecting link 43 retains the meshed relation 0f said gears in, their travel either up or down on their respective shafts. In the hub 41 there are pivotally mounted a plurality of segmental members 44 each, adapted to engage the threaded portion of the .shaft when moved thereagainst by the downward motion of a sleeve portion 45 having 7 bore, and a pair of weighted members 46 also pivotally mounted are adapted, due to centrifugal force downwardly against thesegmental members so that they engage the threads when the starter is operated.

At the end of the shaft 35 there is secured -a bevel gear 52 meshing with a'- gear 53 mounted in a bearing 54. The gear 53 is bored to provide a passa shiftable shaft 55 which t e gear drives by means of a spline 56. The shaft 55 has a driving clutch 57 adapted to engage the starting jaw 10, and a shifting means, 58 moves the clutch into engagement when the actuatingmeans 29 .is. operated.-

It should be understood rection of rotation indicated by an arrow) and that these faces tend to force the friction disk 32 axiallyagainst' the driven member 34 thus intensifying the frictional enthereon so as to urge the" clutch 13 constantly towards its. compamon.

The springt 60 should beofsuch a char aeter as to carry a normal driving load in the starting of an engine and to yield when such aload is exceeded and thus permit-the angular facesv 14 to ride up over those of the efiort of the friction disk .32 upon the driven memher 34. v I

With reference to Fig. '2 there is shown an alternative driving means in which two friction disks 32'- and-32 engage the driven member 34v on either side thus creating a greater driving efiort. :This form of drive may be em loyed when it is considered that the single ktype of Fig. 1 would be overtaxed; I The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that theparts are in their ini tial position as shown in Fig. 1, the flywheel 20 is operated 'to high speed by the hand yance,

a conical shapedto actuate the sleeve 45 e for an axially that the angular faces 14 of the clutch 13 do ,the driving (diof the invent on.

improvements may 1,7e4,sea

crank 23. The rod 29 is then pu ll'ed outwardly which causes the clutch 25 to engage the flywheel and simultaneously therewith moves the clutch 57 to engage the starting that they engage the threaded portion of the i shaft 38 and cause the driven member to adthus progressively increasin the r0- tational speedthereof which accor ingly is transmittedto the shaft of the engine.

'When the end of the threaded portion of the shaft has been reached there will be no further advance of the driven member and the device will continue to operate at its highest speed until the engine As the engine overruns the starter mechanism, the clutch 57 will be forced out of engagement with the starting jaw 10'and concomitantly therewith, the clutch 25 will demesh from the flywheel 20. 'This will bring the friction disk and driven member to rest and the springs 36, 36"v will return the driven member to the zero position. 3

It will be readily understood that in case 'of aback fire in the engine the torque 'imposed upon the mechanism will be in a reversed direction. This notbe transmitted to angular or helical '15 will ride over the clutch-13 and permit relative motion between the engaging parts it being understood that the angular faces of the clutch andsleeve do the driving and not the flat portions thereof. It is obvious that serious damage would otherwise result to the mechanism versed torque against thekinetic energy of the rapidly rotating flywheel. g

It is obvious that the shaft 12 may be directly or indirectly driven by any suitable power means such 'as an electric-motor instead of employing the kinetic energy of a reversed torque will the flywheel, as the flywheelas shown mum drawing, an substitution of such 'a driving means for the flywheel is considered to within thescope It is also obvious thatthe friction transmission herein disclosed rogressivel increasing speed ratio isxdesira 1e ata uni orm rate of progression, and accordingly it should be understood that that portion of the invention faces formed on the sleeve angular faces 14 of the may -'be advanta; geously employed with any form of drying. I mechanism where a begins to operate.-

by a re- 1 is not intended to beconfined exclusively for use in conjunction'with a starter as' shown. Variations may be resorted to within the scopeof-the invention and portions of the be used-without the 0th.

' .speed, a friction drive ers, whilst not departing from the. spirit of.

gression may be varied at will.

2. In an engine starter, the combination of,

a flywheel operable .to high speed, a driving member'connectible to the flywheel, a driven member, the driven member normally disposed at a low speed setting on the driving member, means to gradually advance the driven member durin rotation from the low speed setting to a high speed dposition, means adapted to'vary the rate of a means to return the driven member to its original position when the engine has started.

3. In a starter, the combination of a flywheel, a means to operate the flywheel to high s eed, a transmission including a frictional Itol i -iving member and a frictiona with the flywheel for rotationtherewith, a

:nr'spring, a normallyflengaged clutch inthe to*advance the driven member from an transmission adaptedto permit relative 0- tion of its engaging parts when the apo er of the spring is exceeded, a means a apted initial low speed position on the driving member to a high speed position while being rotated,

.means adapted to vary the rate of advance,

and a means to connect the transmission to an engine for startin Y i 4. A driving me ianism comprising in combination, ber connectible to said shaft, a driven member drivably connectible to a means to be driven, bers giving a speed ratio therebetween uniformly increasing from an initial zero setting, means adapted to change the rate 1 at which said speed ratio is increased, andmeans for connectin said members respectivelyto said shaft and to said means to be. driven.

5. In a driving mechanism the combination with a ower means, of a first drive shaft connectible to the power means, a second drive shaft connectible to a means to be driven, a friction drivebetween said shafts providing a speed ratio therebetween starting fromv an initial zero setting and adapted to uniformly, accelerate the speed of 'the driven shaft at a predetermined rate of progression, means adapted-to change the'rate of regression,

sai shafts respectively to the and the means 6. A friction transmission comprising driv-.

and means for connecting the to be driven.

ing and driven members in frictional driving rate from .zero to "members in rolling vance, a power a transmission connectible to the engine, and

driven mema means to connect the driving member initial position a power shaft, a driving mema friction drive between said mem power means contact and relatively movable so as to provide a uniformly progressive increase in the drivin rate 0 progression at will.

7. In a friction transmission having an initial low speed setting, the combination of driving and driven members in rolling drivratio, and means adapted to vary the mg contact, means adapted to provide a constantly progressive ratio of said members at a predetermined maximum, and means adapted to vary the rate of progression.

'8. A friction transmission comprising tively movable so as to provide a uniformly progressive increase in the driving ratio, torque responsive means adapted to intensify the driving contact when the load increases, and means adapted to vary the rate of progres sion at will. 5 i v 9. A friction transmission comprising members in rolling driving contact and rela tively movable to uniformly and progressively increase the driving ratio from zero to maximum, tor to enforce sai movement, and means adapted to vary the rate of increase.

10. In a friction transmission, a driving member, a driven member frictionall engaged therewith and normally dispose at a d ue responsive means adapted ow speed position adjacent the axis of the riving member, an interchangeable means having a predetermined lead I h a means nor.- mally out of engagement with the last said means and responsive to rotation so as toement therewith and to effect cause an enga an advance. 0 the driven member from its towards ahigh speed position.

11. A friction transmission 7 comprising in combination a driving and a driven member in frictional driving contact, means ada ted to provide a constant pro ression'of the riven member relative to t e driving member from an inherent zero startin position in a manner as to attain a gradua acceleration of the driven member to high speed. I 12. A friction transmission comprising in combination a driving and a driven member in frictional driving contact, a means adapted to actuate the driven member to a zero starting position, and further means adapted to increase-in the driving contact and to effect said driving contact and relaprovide a constant progression of the driven member relative to the driving member from the starting a gradual acceleration of the driven member to high speed.

position in a manner as to attain 13. In a starter, thecombination of a ti wheel, a means to operate the flywheel to high speed a friction transmission connectible to said flywheel and to a means to be started; said transmission comprising a driving and a driven member in frictional drivin contact, a means adapted to actuate the riven member to an initial Irero tarting position;

and a further means adapted to provide a constant pro 'ression of the driven member relative to tiie driving member from said startin positign in a. manner as to attain a. radua acceleration of the driven member to i h Speed. A igned at Keyport, in the county-of Monniouth and State of New Jersey this-24th day of April, A. D. 1926.

WERNER F. ROTHERMUND,- 

